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November 30, 2006
New Traffic
I just finished my weekly examination of my Google Analytics report for this ramshackle tenament of a blog. Another week, another 150 visitors, including the usual assortment of complete oddballs (who is visiting me from Beirut, Moscow or Riga, Latvia?).
One notable change this week was a spike in traffic from a blog following the story of Chris Barnes. This isn't surprising: I left a comment there and spikes from such sites are typical.
I ran into a story about this guy in my recent alumni magazine for The University at Albany. He is a '96 alum (meaning that I may well have crossed paths with him, or at least come within Kevin Bacon range) who has experienced an "anoxic brain injury": basically, he suffered a heart attack after jogging (for reasons that remain a cruel mystery: the guy looked pretty damned fit to me) and the resulting disruption of oxygen caused brain damage.
His wife appears to be the main contributor to his blog, and man she seems to be cut from tough rock. Its a pretty tought and engaging story, much like that of our good friend's daughter (Aurora Waddell) who is currently battling cancer.
Anyway, it suddenly occurs to me that I have been amusing many of you, my dedicated cabal, with my ranting for some time without any financial compensation whatsoever. If you want to do something positive, channel that guilt (you maneuvering swines) into making a donation to the trust fund that helps support Chris Barnes's care. All of you U of Albany deliquents who visit my site and knew me in the daze can clear some ancient and un-fucking believably big poker debts to yours truly (and no crying about it like a bunch of Nancys: I warned you at the time never to mess with an Irishman in matters of chance) by helping out. Visit this site for details.
I'm off now to spend some time in my hyperbaric chamber making various ominous spiritual preparations for the release of Mel Gibson's new movie.
Posted by dag at November 30, 2006 11:13 PM